It is all about fear. Fear, fear and more fear

[Stuart G]

This is a major story around the country..(at least at MSNBC)



Missing Indiana girl found dead, babysitter held

It is a local story, but the fear media makes it national.
I recall in "1984" George Orwells classic, he describes the media's role.. To frighten the population and keep them frightened ..
that idea, or another similiar..


distant wars, fear, isolation..class on class hate..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45790781/ns/us_news-life/

For the past decade or so, I have noticed these local news stories about killing are .."national news'

Hell they are..they belong at the city desk, in the local news file.
In a country of 300 million, you can find any kind of news if you look for it.
Put it on the front page, and scare the pants off of people..
That is what the media is about.

[WinkyDink]

1. You must be fairly young.

[Stuart G]

3. I am not young..

But I noticed this in the 90s... perhaps others noticed it earlier..

[FreakinDJ]

8. I have never seen this country more "Polarized"

Raegan did his best to promote "Good vs: Evil" in California during the "Summer or Love" but it was mostly laughed at.

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Barry Glassner, "The Culture of Fear."

An academic analysis, but yes, Orwell knew. It is always fear that motivates people. Always. Always.

[Owlet]

4. We have become a very fearful people

In the first Dark Ages TPTB kept folks in line through fear of god. Nowadays those in charge have any number of fears to play on, be it some undefined 'enemy' that requires a $700bn a year military establishment, to 6-year old terrorists requiring an invasive pat-down. Fear is pervasive, and eventually permeates even to the highest levels: a president fearful of being labelled a partisan.

The things we should really be fearful about - economic collapse, climate change to name a couple - are pooh-poohed away or never dealt with by the media at all.

Welcome, Dark Ages - the Sequel.

[CrispyQ]

11. Well said.

"Fear is pervasive, and eventually permeates even to the highest levels: a president fearful of being labelled a partisan."

And a Democratic party fearful of being called 'liberal.'

Back when the word liberal was first being demonized, instead of banding together & proudly claiming the liberal label & the values it represents, Democrats shirked away & they've been shirking ever since. What passes for the center today would have been solid right back in the 50s, in large part to democrats not standing up & fighting for liberal values.

[Cigar11]

5. Idiots Killing is NEWS!

EVERYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE.

I hope we never stop fearing the capacity of Hate, Rage and Senseless Murdering!

It's the world we live in NOW (2011-2012)

[tavalon]

6. Well, it is good that you've looked behind the curtain,

but this has been going on since time began. Divide and Conquer. Bread and Circuses. And FEAR, FEAR, FEAR. Three of the most successful things the one percenters have been using since the dawn of time.

That is what is so very awesome about this coming spring. We will not be divided, nor conquered, we will not be mollified by bread or circuses and we will not fear.

[RKP5637]

7. Yep, fear sells and is a real profit maker. Fear also swings public opinion and is an

excellent from of controlling and motivating large numbers of people, been around since day 1. Of course a similar one is also hatred. Hatred sells and is a real profit maker. Yep, the media uses all of these tactics for profiteering. They've honed their skills even better now with the ease of mass-communication and willing audiences and big $$$.

PS: And politicians, of course, use the same tactics, etc.

[leveymg]

9. The Mayan elites sacrificed thousands so the sun would rise. Fear has always been power.

TV Crime stories are just a modern twist on some very old rituals of bloody domination.

[RC]

10. If it bleeds, it leads.

Blood sells newspapers. We love to be scared. Many of us live our lives through the people we watch on TV and read about in the news.

[MineralMan]

12. You're right, and it's not a good thing.

With the promotion of local stories about crimes in the national media, people have gotten a false impression of their own risk of being a victim of such a crime. Every child who is abducted now makes the national news. So, despite the actual frequency of such abductions not changing, people everywhere are fearful that the same thing will happen to their child. That causes over-protection of children and stifles their personal growth of freedom of movement as they grow up.

In many other ways, this nationalization of local news stories makes us fearful and restricts our freedom. The chances of being murdered are no higher than in other decades, but the worry about it is much higher. This has caused a phenomenon of people being afraid of crimes that they are not likely to be victims of.

It's a shame, really, but such fears can be overcome.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Choose joy.

It obsoletes them in a hurry.

[Ron Green]

14. Fear is the path of least resistance.

Fear is easy, and love is difficult. So those who would control others appeal to the lizard brain. That's why right-wingers in Congress always have an easier time of it and always will.

[jwirr]

15. I was living in a highrise with other elderly persons when a business owner murdered his girl friend

The police taught a class in self defense as a result and many of the elderly went. One of the things the police told the elderly was that crime had gone up 100%. What they did not tell the elderly was that there had only been 2 murders in the town history. The highrise residents went crazy. Everyone was yelling at each other because family members had keys to the building and often we would not ask who was at the door before we let people in. Most of us knew our family were coming. All in all the police caused the fear. The murder was merely the opportunity for their propaganda.